Telling her story. Leah Remini has been an outspoken critic of the Church of Scientology since she left the controversial religion in 2013.
The actress was brought into the church as an 8-year-old after her mother converted. During a 2015 20/20 interview, Remini talked about her experience growing up as a Scientologist.
“The mission is to save the planet and because Scientologists view children as spiritual beings, you’re not treated as a kid. You’re given a lot of responsibility, and so your ego becomes extremely inflated,” the King of Queens alum claimed to ABC News’ Dan Harris at the time.
Remini’s decision to leave Scientology ultimately came down to her then-9-year-old daughter, Sofia. “She was getting to the age where the acclimations into the church would have to start,” the Old School actress told BuzzFeed in 2014, adding that she didn’t want to repeat her own mother’s mistakes.
“I grew up resenting my mother because she was never home. My mom thought she was doing something good; she thought she was helping the planet. That’s what the church tells you,” Remini explained. “I was saying ‘family first,’ but I wasn’t showing that. I didn’t like the message that sent my daughter.”
The New York native has never shied away from speaking publicly about her history with Scientology. In 2015, the organization fired back.
“Given Leah Remini’s insatiable desire for attention, it comes as no surprise that for two years she has been incapable of moving on with her life and remains obsessed with shamelessly exploiting her former religion in a pathetic attempt to get publicity,” a spokesperson for the Church of Scientology told Us Weekly at the time.
Despite the backlash, the Handsome actress didn’t stop talking about her experience. She penned a 2015 memoir titled Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology and produced the A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.
When the Emmy-winning series concluded in 2019 after three seasons, the Church of Scientology released a statement to Us denouncing the content. “Finally, A&E pulled the plug on Leah Remini’s hate machine,” the statement read, claiming the show was full of “lies, distortions and exhortations to hate and bigotry.”
Although Remini told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 that she wasn’t sure if making the docuseries helped her heal, she does feel a responsibility to speak out about her experiences — and about other members of the religion. When Laura Prepon left Scientology in 2021 without much fanfare, Remini was critical of how the That ‘70s Show alum handled her exit.
“For those of us who were in the public eye and who were speaking on behalf of Scientology, getting people into Scientology, I feel that we have a responsibility to do the work when we find out that none of those things we were doing was not only [not] helpful, but damaging and very harmful to people’s lives,” the “Scientology: Fair Game” podcaster said during a September 2021 interview with Daily Blast Live.
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Scroll through for a timeline of Remini’s battle with the Church of Scientology over the years:
Wynonna Judd gave a heartfelt tribute to her late mother, Naomi Judd, during her acceptance speech for the Country Champion Award at the 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards.
“So I graduated high school in 1982 and [in] 1983 got a record deal with RCA records and I got on a silver eagle bus with my mama and did her hair every night for 10 years for free,” Wynonna said on Thursday, September 28. “I started there, 10 years later she would have to retire and I would go on to make country music ‘herstory.’”
Wynonna then recalled the challenging moment she lost her mom in April 2022 to suicide.
“I went to her house, and she died there, but we followed the ambulance anyway to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. And I walked into the room and I held her in my arms and I kissed her on the forehead, shut her eyes and said, ‘I love you mom,’” she recalled. “And I walked out of that room, went home, got up the next morning and showed up at the Country Music Hall of Fame to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. You know why? Because that’s how much we love music regardless of what has happened to me and who I show up and I show out.”
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The best and brightest in country music stepped out in style to commemorate the first-ever People’s Choice Country Awards. The inaugural ceremony took place on Thursday, September 28, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The show also aired live on NBC and Peacock. In addition to the fierce looks, fan-favorite singers and crooners, including […]
The singer recalled how she and fellow country star Tim McGraw have both opened for one another on their respective tours over the years.
“Back in 1990, Tim McGraw opened for me, four weeks ago I opened for Tim,” she reflected. “The highs are high and the lows are low, baby, but don’t ever let them tell you who you are.”
Before becoming a successful solo artist, Wynonna got her start in country music thanks to her mother as they formed the duo The Judds together in 1983. The mother-daughter pair recorded six studio albums from 1984 to 1990 and continued to perform together until Naomi’s death.
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” Wynonna and sister Ashley Judd wrote in a joint statement at the time. “We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.”
Four months after Naomi’s passing, the autopsy report revealed that the late singer died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In September 2022, Wynonna opened up about how she was coping with the loss of her mother and how it brought her closer to her sister, with whom she has had ups and downs.
“We both kind of look at each other like, ‘I’ve got you,’ right? And we look at each other and we say, ‘Yeah.’ We’re so united right now, I think more so than we have been in a long time,” Wynonna explained of her bond with Ashley, 55, following the loss of their mom in a segment with CBS Sunday Mornings.
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Related: Country Music Tragedies: The Saddest and Most Shocking Deaths
Gone, but not forgotten. The country music world has lost many of their biggest and brightest stars, from Naomi Judd to Loretta Lynn over the years. The Judds singer’s daughters, Wynonna and Ashley Judd, revealed that their mother died in April 2022 at the age of 76, after a long battle with depression. “Today we […]
Wynonna was the first recipient bestowed the honor at the newest country music awards show. The accolade was given to Wynonna for her musical achievements in addition to her charitable work with the Wounded Warrior Project and Habitat for Humanity while also advocating for mental health awareness.
“Wynonna is one of the most recognized and lauded performers in country music,” Senior Vice President of NBCUniversal Entertainment Cassandra Tryon said in a press release earlier this month, noting that the singer is also hosting the NBC country music holiday special, Christmas at the Opry, in December. “Not only is she incredibly talented, her selflessness and passion for putting the needs of others in the spotlight is unmatched. We can’t think of a better person to honor as our inaugural ‘Country Champion’ and to celebrate the holidays with across these two major country music events.”
After two-plus decades of marriage, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have never stopped having the hots for each other — and they want the world to know!
The couple, who met while starring on All My Children in the ‘90s, tied the knot in 1996 and went on to welcome three kids: Michael (born 1997), Lola (born 2001), and Joaquin (born 2003). Despite their busy lives and successful careers, Ripa and Consuelos always make sure to make time for each other — and that often occurs in the bedroom … and not just their own.
In September 2022, the Live With Kelly and Ryan host admitted to Andy Cohen that she and the Riverdale star once had sex in his Fire Island home.
“That was a day trip!” the Bravo personality exclaimed in response.
“It was a rental!” the former soap opera star replied, adding, “I figured I wasn’t desecrating anything that you own.”
In addition to Cohen’s vacation rental, Ripa admitted to the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host that she and Consuelos have also slept together on a boat, in a public bathroom and even on the set of All My Children.
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“I think we found each other at the right time in our lives. … We were really pliable to each other,” the ABC personality previously told Cohen in April 2020 while explaining why she and her husband have such a healthy sex life. “We really learned each other well. With that comes a certain level of comfort and confidence and experimentation and just fun.”
Keep scrolling to see Ripa and Consuelos’ NSFW sex confessions over the years:
—The entertainment world is raising its wands in honor of the late Sir Michael Gambon.
The Irish actor, best known for his role as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter film series, died at the age of 82 on Thursday, September 28. “We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon,” Gambon’s family said in a statement via his rep. “Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside.”
The statement noted that Gambon passed away after experiencing “a bout of pneumonia.” He is survived by his wife, Anne, and their son, Fergus.
Several celebrities took to social media following his death to pay tribute to the star. “We are incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Michael Gambon,” the official Harry Potter Instagram account wrote alongside a black and white photo of Gambon. “He brought immeasurable joy to Harry Potter fans from all over the world with his humour, kindness and grace. We will forever hold his memory in our hearts.”
